that looks like a 90s mcmansion in the exburbs railing to me if i've ever seen one. I prefer the classic, all wood one in the first link of the awesome poster's examples.

Also if you want beautiful stairs, check out the TV show Modern Family. Total house porn, and Julie Bowen/Ty Purrell's house is an awesome staircase and railing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A bitch to clean and will soon be outdated!

+1 They already seem outdated. I would go with wood painted white, craftsman style as mentioned by a PP

dated what year?

I agree with PP. What's in the photo is dated and tacky.

PP, don't sweat the blonde wood. We live in a 40s house that has really pretty light wood floors with what was described to me as a "Swedish rubbed finish." The stairwell is in the same color, except the wood picket ballister and risers are painted white. It does look very pleasant and fits in well with the home--having a consistent look throughout is really lovely.

I find that the white risers do NOT get dirty very fast. I wipe them down maybe... three times a year at most, and even then they're really not particularly dingy. A "magic eraser" sponge does the trick on any tough marks. We do typically take our shoes off in the house, though. Not for cleanliness per se (though that is a convenient side effect), just that we really do like to lounge around in our comfy slippers.

I have never thought about the look of a stairway before this post. Insomnia can lead to new things to obsess about!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you go from iron to iron? Money to burn?

No...they're older, metal (no idea what kind, but doesn't seem very strong, doubt it's iron?) and painted black. It's the one part of the house that looks cheap. The floors are a light blondish wood - could I still do blond wood top rail and iron vertical bars? Seems like the examples I see use a darker wood on top. Thanks!

If you go with wood anywhere in the stairwell, you definitely want the wood to match your floors.

Personally, I concur that the "timeless" stairwells are those that are craftsman style. However, if this is not the style of your house, go with something else that does mimic the architectural features of your home. It will therefore be classic and appropriate.

I find the iron with wood appears cheap. I am a fan of white and wood mix.

Man, not the OP but I was hoping for consensus here. The house we just bought has all hardwood stairs, railing, ballisters, etc. with no white paint. Stain is med-dark.

I'd like to paint the risers/kicks white but keep the actual steps their current stain. DH thinks the white will always get dirty. I'd also like either iron ballisters or have the current ones painted white to match the risers. Thoughts?

Iron balusters. The white wooden style screams 90s and is outdated.